Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl!!!

I should have known she would be an easy baby, right from the start. Once we found out we were having a girl, we decided we needed to come up with a name.  We knew her middle name would be Grace (after me, my grandmother and great-grandmother), but were having a hard time deciding on a name.  Cory was leaning toward Catherine, when we thought of Mary, his Grandmother's name.  By changing the spelling to Merry, we thought we had a winner.  After all, we thought, we wanted a happy baby.  So what better name than Merry?  So Merry Grace she would be.

She was certainly my easiest delivery.  She was due on February the 5th, a Sunday.  But Sunday found me in church right along with everyone else, instead of in the hospital having a baby.  It was really fun hearing the fifty different versions of "Oh, you're still pregnant?", "Aren't you about ready to have that baby?" and "You look like you could pop any day now!"  Oh yes, fun times.  The real miracle of the day was the fact that no violence was used  against these well-intentioned comments. :)

By Wednesday, I was looking for any sign, any excuse to see my doctor and hope I could get that baby out.  I'd had contractions off and on for weeks, but I thought maybe there was the slightest chance they were getting more regular, so the doctor said I could come for an appointment around 1pm and he would check things out.  I was hoping against hope that somehow I could go ahead to the hospital,  so I packed overnight bags for Cory and I, dropped the kids off with their Aunt Amanda, and picked up Cory at his office.  On our way to the doctor, Cory asked me how I was feeling and if I was having more contractions.  "No", I said glumly.  "I'm not feeling a thing."  Once at my appointment, the doctor checked me out and to my complete elation calls out, "Hello, membranes!  You're at a 5, maybe more!  We're going to get you over to the hospital and have this baby!"

By 2:30pm we had called all the parents, gotten checked in, and hooked up to all the equipment and settled in for the long haul.  I had my epidural (glory, glory, hallelujah) and by 8:00pm I was ready to push.  My parents showed up just in time to see me and wish me luck while the nurses readied the room for delivery.  With my parents back out the door and the doctor in, I had about two really good pushes and Merry Grace was born into the world at 8:23pm.  She weighed 8lbs. 6oz. and had a head full of dark hair.  She looked just like Ian did when he was a baby and was the cutest, cutest thing ever.

The official weighing in...8lbs. 6oz. and cute as a button!

All swaddled and snuggled.  She was born to love that passy.

Elise, the proud big sister.

Ian, just in LOVE with that new baby.

My little tarheels.  Don't you love Elise cutting her eyes at Ian for being too silly?!

My Three. 

With such an easy start, I should have known what a joy she would be.  She was a happy-go-lucky baby, easy to please and easy to take anywhere.  Potty training was a piece of cake, fits are practically non-existent (although when they do come, they are doozies), and she's almost always on her best behavior.  She's got some spunk that comes from being the third child, a contagious laugh that leaves you no choice but to join in, and a sassy streak a mile wide.  Oh, how we love her.  She's lived up to all the merriment of her name.

Today she is Four Years Old.  I guess she's been trying to pick out the perfect birthday outfit, because so far today I've seen her in 15 different combinations, from jeans to skirts, short sleeves to long sleeves, and dresses.  She's also been working on her hair style for the day.  She's had head bands and hair bows and ribbons.  Right now she's got pigtails and a head band.  Each one is just as cute as the previous one.  She even drew "whiskers" all over her face with an eye pencil so she could be a lion.  She decided they didn't look cute with a skirt so they're gone now.

Happy Birthday to my sweet little girl!!!